He was ranked 18 among NA skaters in the final rankings(ahead of Morin, Domi, Morrissey, Zadorov, Lazar, Poirier, McCarron, Klimchuk, Dickinson, etc). They must have felt there was a big drop off talent wise after him to make shedding the quantity worth getting the player they wanted.

Heard an explanation once that a 'deep draft' means that after the top tier, there is a lack of consensus as to who the second tier (say 10 through 20ish) are.

Surprised at how few moves happened, especially for us. Heard one theory its the Lecavalier effect -- teams may wait to see where he lands before re-revving up the trade market.

Blues give up a 7th rounder this year and a 4th rounder next year to move back into the 4th round and select Zach Pochiro. The Blues originally had pick 113, sent that to Edmonton in the Carrier deal. This move was for the 112 pick. I'm really scratching my head on what we're doing here.

I hope their July activity makes more sense than their June 30th activity. They can still move Halak and Perron. The more I think about it, Halak pretty much has to be moved. He had a very clear falling out with Hitch after not playing in the LA series. If you can move both those guys, bring in Lecavalier, resign the rest of your RFA's and, call me crazy here but I think they should do this, let Leopold go and sign Rob Scuderi for his cup experience, then things will start to make sense. Almost all things... just not this draft.

If Connor Hurley was the top forward in Minnesota High School Hockey, Tommy Vannelli would be arguably the most notable defenseman in the Draft. It's been a whirlwind calender year for the Minnetonka native; he blew scouts away at the Select Festival in Rochester, New York last Summer, earning an invite to play for Team USA at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, and his season just culminated recently again suiting up for the Stars and Stripes and coming home from Sochi, Russia with a Silver Medal in the World U18 Championships.His development trajectory has been impressive; he anchored the strongest blueline in the Fall Elite League, wore a Captain's letter for Minnetonka, and was invited to join the USNTDP for the last few weeks of the season (and getting heavy minutes too); like Hurley, he was everywhere this year.

Vannelli may be one of the best skaters in the entire Draft Class- he simply hovers around the ice, effortlessly pivoting and changing directions, and when he digs in lineally, his acceleration is incredibly impressive. I made a note in one of my viewings that the sound his skates make in his first few steps was unlike anyone else on the ice. His mobility basically allows him to play the role of 4th forward; he can join the rush and retreat with no problem, and can simply take the puck and skate it out of trouble in three quick strides. The amount of space in which he can cover is just mind boggling at times; with his mobility and reach it was like an entire faceoff circle worth of coverage. He's got impressive hockey sense; there is an instinctive manner in which he plays, but he can still be coached up some; his positioning can be just off (although he can cheat a bit because of the ease in which he can recover) and he's got to learn some of the nuances and details of the defense position, but its not the end of the World. Offensively he's got slick hands; he can thread passes through traffic and has the presence of mind to shoot not just to score, but also to create rebounds for his teammates.

But like any young player, he struggles with inconsistency. When he's fully engaged he's a complete treat to watch, leaving scouts buzzing; however he's had shifts (and games unfortunately) where he's looked unfocused and disinterested. He didn't show much of a physical presence in the viewings I saw; I'm not saying he's got to be a killer, but he wouldn't take up those opportunities to rub puck carriers out along the wall, or make his presence felt to players standing in front of his net. His puck rushing could be predictable, often choosing to go up along the walls; and if he ever learned the chip and chase (ala Brent Burns), he could be one man forecheck- there were too many times where I saw him turn over the puck at the offensive blueline trying to dangle through the other team.

He's got scary good upside, but there are things about his game that will make teams certainly cautious about taking him. Vannelli is going to a good place to continue to develop though; Mike Guentzel, who coaches the D at Minnesota, will do a good job of shaping Vannelli's game up over the next few years. For what its worth, I think Vannelli is better than Brady Skjei was at this point in Skjei's draft year, and he has more potential in my opinion as well. The NCAA model of development- lots of practice and weight training- should do him well, and whatever team that drafts him.

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